Seed-planter



S. K. DENNXS.

SEED PLANTER.

APPLICATION man SEPT. I5. 1913.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

4 SHEETS-SHEET lflew. SmeZIfieruus.

s. K. DENNIS.

SEED PLANIER. APPLICATION FILED 5:91.15. 1913.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

4 SHEETS-$115 2- S. K. DENNIS.

SEED PLANTER. APPLICAHON man SEPT- 15. 1913.

Patented Jan. 6, 1920.

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s. K. DENNIS. SEED PLANTER.

APPLICATION FlLED SEPT- l5. l9l3- Patented Jan. 6,1920.

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A6 QGBPORQAHQH OF NEW J'ERfiEY.

Wines 0! Letters Patent PatentediJan. 6, 192B.

Aj m ti'on niecsept'emfier 15', 191?; serial 1%. 7393337,

Illinois; have invelitedeei fiem ne and nsefill Improvements in Se'cf-Piafiters. of which the; following is e fiill, clear, and exact specification.

My invention reletesto seed pleinters, It is the object of my im enti'on to improve and simplify the construction and operetion of a} seed, planter of the check row type, This object I accomplish bycmeens of efi'impeei edfchiech ip ir g theiefer operable "through frame ed justing lever to throw the seed dropping mechanism into operative position when the furrow opener-s1 are lowered to planting position; and into inoperative cositi o'n when the furrow openers ere'mised or turning corners or transpmftiiig the lanter from piece to pleee end improved fend marker operated in an proved manner bytii frsme lever to shift frofflsiit fie $5515 of" the, Fefiteres iwdmi 15w '6. One form win-e11 myinventioirnie" some is exemplified in the renewing? kiescription eiiol ilhisttfl-tel in the accompanyin drawings, in which- V Figure I shows a vertical oehti'al sectibnifl view of my improved corn planter;

Fig, 2 sHoWs"a;;detiiiI View of'the operating mechanism] for themarker" arm; 7

V Fig. 3 e fietiiil of "the means merke peeved elutels eispping ens-weed Fig, 7' shows a eteilj view efmy lmprove'd seedidropping cliitclh" p f 8 shows it d efao'he'd viiewof clutch wi'ppmg'lever em leyea in my device Fig 9 shows a; view ofthe same taken from ej-d ifierent' angle; and j Fig-.; 10 is] a defiailfiriew slrowin the 0011'- of the eiiitoh mechanism 1" il lisfreted in Fii gi 5; The pianter illustrated in the accompanymg drawings comprises carrying Wheels 16, an axle 11, a; main or supporting frame 12 carried on sai't axle, a runner or furrow opener frame 13 hinged to said supporting frame, furrow openers" 14, a draft tongue 15 connected to both of said frames, and a. frenie adjusting lever 16 carried on a transverse shaft 17' fixed to the supporting frame. The fiaine' adjnsting' lever is refersbiy the form of a beli crank and comprises an 'npwardiy extending hzmd, portion 18, a reerwerdl' extending foot portion 143, and. a forward 'y extending lug 201 For raising the runner frame a yielding connection is formed between the forwerdiy extendingl'ug 20' and said frame, comprising a rod 2']. carrying a pressure sprin 22 andjpivofied at one end to the forward} extendin legend hfevin 'its other end? sl'idahiy received in a trees ar 23 fix'edto the runner frame and to the tongue; To assist the operator in IHOV- ing; the lever to raise the frame, I provide a counterhelancing spring 24 connected at its forward end to brace bar'23, and at its other end to' a pendent arm 25' carried on .7 said brece ber said armin turn'bemg conii sees sears ewpemivew connecifecf es seed piiiztes the s eeil' boiie's 2 3 is" carried on the runner frame. A clntch meohanism 29, operated by a; continnously'rotating sprocket wheel 30, imparts an intennitte t veriable movement to the seed shaft. '1 e sprocket wlieel 30 is operated in the usual manner by means of e chain 31 conn'ectedto e sprocket wheel 32 on the axle of theplen'ter.

The" clutch mechein'i'sni 29'o1i prises an in terna li toothed ratchet wheel '33" operated continuonsly By the sproeiret wheel? 30, and a pawl member 34 cerry a roller 85', which roller is designed'tb colct with the internal teeth on the ratchet wheel andii'mpart a 1-0- tetzible movement to see pziwli The pe'wl 34-isconnected forjoihfiptfition to a springpressed pawl 36, and this latter pawl coacts with a second ratchet wheel 37 to impart movement thereto. The intermittent movement of the clutch is secured through the op eration of check row mechanism 38, which, as is well known, imparts a reciprocal movement to a check row shaft 39 carrying a knock-out arm 40, which arm is held normally in position to engage the pawl 34: and move it inwardly a suflicient distance to disengage the roller thereon from the ratchet teeth. The ratchet wheel 37 is connected direct to the seed shaft and a swinging cam member 41 is provided for the purpose of engaging the pawl 36 and throwmg it out of operative connection with the ratchet wheel at varying degrees in its angular movement. The different points at which the pawl is disengaged from the ratchet wheel are adjustable so that the seed shaft will be rotated a greater or less distance to ermit two, three or four, or an number o seeds, to be dropped by the see plates during one complete revolution of the clutch members.

I have provided means in connection with the clutch mechanism for throwin it in and out of operative position as t e runner frame is raised and lowered. This means comprises a trip lever 42 pivoted to the runner frame with its upper end in position to engage, when at one limit of its move-- ment, the pawl member 34. The trip lever operates similar to the knock-out arm to move the pawl member 34 inwardly and disengage the roller thereon from the ratchet wheel. The lower end of the trlp lever is connected in a yielding manner by a pressure spring 43 and a slide rod 44 to the pendent arm 25. Obviously, the movement imparted to the pendent arm by the lever 16 is such that it is swung rearwardly when the runner frame is lowered. This rearward movement of the pendent arm will swing the upper end of the trip lever forwardly away from the path of the pawl 34 and permit the clutch mechanism to be operated in the ordinary manner. However, when the runner frame is raised, the pendent arm is swung forwardly by the spring 24 and this operates to move the upper end of the trip lever rearwardly to a position where it, will engage the pawl 34. Preferably, the osition of the trip lever is forward of t e knock-out arm, and by disengaging the pawl from the ratchet before it reaches the knock-out arm, nothing, there fore, depends upon the operation of said arm, and it may be moved to an position by the check row mechanism an still not interfere with the desired inoperativeness of the clutch mechanism.

A slightly modified arrangement of the connecting means between the frame adj usting lever and the trip lever is shown in Fig. 5. This form is particularly adapted for use on planters Where the counterbalancing spring is not employed and it comprises a link member 45 pivoted to the foot portion of the lever 16 and slidably connected to the lower end of the trip lever. Adjacent the trip lever, in position on the link 45, is a pressure spring 46 for rendering the connection yieldable.

With reference to the swinging cam employed in my device, it is desirable that it be not projected upwardly beyond the top of the ratchet wheel 33; this is for the reason that in crating the planter for shipping purposes, when the cam extends above the ratchet wheel, it becomes liable to breakage on account of its exposed position. The handle for shifting the cam has heretofore been projected upwardly, and thereby subjected to the same danger. The cam, it will be understood, isin a plane with and surrounds the pawl member 36. The points where the cam engages the pawl are con fined to its lower annulus, and I have taken advantage of this fact in constructing a cam that is not projected above the ratchet wheel 33. As shown in Fig. 7, the cam is provided with an offset top portion 47 that is but slightly curved in a vertical direction and passes to one side of the plane of the pawl member 36, preferably a short distance below the upper plane of the ratchet wheel 33. A handle 48 is pivoted to the cam and extends in the same direction with the top portion thereof. I prefer to so form this handle that it fits the contour of the top portion 47 with only its outer end 49 projecting and then only for a distance sufficient to permit the operator to grasp the handle and raise it when shifting the cam. A lug 50. is fixed to the handle on its under side and 15 designed to project into one of a plurality of openings formed in a stationary plate 51. Each of the openings in the plate is labeled with the numeral corresponding to the number of seeds that are planted when the cam is in position with the lug occupying that opening. A spring 52 is provided for the handle to keep it normally in its lowered position, where the lug 50 will be held in one of the openings in the stationar plate.

In connection with the frame a justing lever there is provided a marker arm 53, carrying at its outer end a land marker 54. The arm is in the form of a crank, with a shaft rtion 55 carried in bearings 56 fixed to the axle of the carrying wheels and the rear end of the supporting frame. ()n the inner end of the shaft portion 55 is an operating arm 57 carrying a roller 58 in position to be engaged by horizontally arranged plates 59 and 60 formed on the rear end of the foot portion 19 of the frame adjusting lever. As shown in Fig. 2, these plates are placed a slight distance apart, with their inner ends upwardly curved to receive between nntlewfi? The operating arm is positioned anadlel relation to the :marketraa m seat at .whenthe marker is in engant width the ground, the operating arm projects horizontally in a direction op- ,osite: to that of the marker arm. Thereore, when the lever 16 is moved rearwardly to raise the marker frame, the foot portion 19 thereon engages the roller on the operating' arm and forces it downward, thereby raising thcemarkerarm to a vertical position, where itsemomentumcarries it past deadeentier it is: permitted to drop to the greunidjmrtheiopposite side as the runner' frame is, again lowered.

Necessarily,:considerable force is required to raise the marker arm, and therefore the advantage of having the lever 16 operated by both hand and foot power can be appreciated. In this connection it will also be noted that I have provided for the lever 16 a quadrant 61 having a blank portion 62 formed on its periphery, with a series of teeth 63 at eithersiele thereof. This construction is made possible by the fact that between the upper or travellng position of the runner frame and the position where the runners contact with the ground, a considerable space intervenes, within which the clutch tripping lever 42 is shifted from engaging to disengaging position with the pawl 34. This space "is represented on the quadrant by the blank portion, and by having it camshaped, as shown, the operator may, upon reachin the blank portion with the lever, release t e detent mechanism 6% and concentrate his efforts upon the task of quickly moving the lever to the end that the marker arm may be raised with considerable speed, and thus carried past its dead center. Obviously, the detent will be auto matically raised by the cam-shaped portion as the lever is moved, and upon reaching the upper. series of teeth the detent will dropiinteithefirst notch, and thus the lever willhe stoppedeiractly in the position where the marker armwill. be carried past its center? and-where the clutch tripping lever will be in complete engagement with the pawl 34'. Onthe return movement of the lever the blank portion on the quadrant prevents theoperator from adjustin the lever 16 in a position where the clutci tripping lever is but partially disengaged from the pawl, andthereby the. possibility of breakage is greatly lessened; V

At the outer end of the marker arm a; brace rod 65 is rigidly fixed, and onthe end of this rod is an enlarged head portion 66. To receive the head 66 as the marker arm is swung. from side to side is a loop member 67 on either side of the runner frame carried on a'shaft 68 adjustably fixed to the endvofi said frame. A set screw 69 renders the loop 67. adjustable upon the shaft 68.

The loop member is provided on its rearward portion with a: downwardly extending tapered slct' 'fll, as shown in Fig. 3, and as the marker arm is lowered to either side of the planter, the head portion 66 falls within the loop and is drawn into the slotted portion 70,.where it is securely held, and thereby the marker arm is reinforced against rearward movement. From the size of the loo 6? it will be seen that considerable latitude is provided for independent movement of the head without danger of itsmissingconnection therewith, and the loop being adjustable through its shaft 68, provision is thereby made for insuring a connection even though the brace rod or marker arm should become bent.

While I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications, and that changes may be resorted to in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of my invention as disclosedin the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a seed planter, traction wheels, a frame supported thereby, seed plantin mechanism. operatively connected to sai traction wheels, a pivoted laterally movable land marker, and means for simultaneously disconnecting said dropping mechanism from said traction wheels and controlling said marker.

2. In a seed planter, furrow openers, seed dropping mechanism, a laterally shiftable land marker, unitary means for controlling the Working movements of said openers, mechanism and marker, and independently operable means for controlling said seed dropping mechanism.

3. In a seed planter, adjustable furrow openers, seed dropping mechanism, an adjustahle marker, means for simultaneously adjusting said furrow openers and said marker and for controlling the operation of said seed dropping mechanism, and independent means for controlling the operation of said seed dropping mechanism.

4. In a seed planter, traction wheels, verticelly adjustable furrow openers, seed dropping mechanism, actuating means' therefor operatively connected to said traction wheels, a laterally shiftable marker, and means independent of said traction wheels for simultaneously controlling the movements of said. furrow openers and marker and the operation of said seed dropping mechanism.

5. In a seed planter, a source of power, adjustable furrow openers, seed dropping mechanism operatively connected to said source of power, a marker including a pivoted marker arm, and means for simultaneously adj ustingsaidr furrow openers, swinging said marker arm on its pivot, and for controlling the operative connections between said seed dropping mechanism and said source of power.

6. In a seed planter, vertically adjustable furrow openers, seed dropping mechanism, a marker including a pivoted marker arm, means for swinging said marker arm on its pivot as said furrow openers are vertically adjusted and for simultaneously controlling the operation of said seed dropping mechanism, and independent means for controlling the operation of said seed dropping mechanism.

7 In a seed planter, a supporting frame, a furrow opener frame movable with respect thereto, seed dropping mechanism carried on said furrow opener frame, clutch members for said seed dropping mechanism, a laterally shiftable marker carried by said supporting frame, and means controlled by the relative positions of said frames for throwing the clutch members into and out of operative position and for shifting said marker.

8. In a seed planter, a supporting frame, a furrow opener frame hinged to said supporting frame, a lever for adjusting the relative positions of said frames, seed dropping mechanism carried on said furrow opener frame, a laterally shiftable marker carried by said sup orting frame, clutch members for said see dropping mechanism, and means operated by said frame adjusting lever for tripping said clutch members into and out of operative position and for shifting said marker.

9. In a seed planter, a supporting frame, a furrow opener frame hinged thereto, a lever for said supporting frame for adjusting the relative positions on said frames, seed dropping mechanism carried on said furrow opener frame, clutch members for said seed dropping mechanism, a laterally shiftable marker carried by said supporting frame, means operated by said lever for throwing the clutch members into engaging and disengaging positions and for shifting said marker, and a counterbalancing spring for assisting in the movement of said lever.

10. In a seed planter, a supporting frame, a furrow opener frame hinged thereto, a bell crank lever pivoted to said supporting frame and connected to said furrow opener frame, seed dropping mechanism carried on said furrow opener frame, clutch members on said seed dropping mechanism, a trip lever on the furrow opener frame for throwing the clutch members into and out of engaging position, and connecting means between said tripping lever and bell crank lever whereby said trip lever is operated.

11. In a seed planter, a supporting frame, a furrow opener frame hinged thereto, a bell crank lever pivoted to said supporting frame and connected to said furrow opener frame, seed dropping mechanism carried on said furrow opener frame, clutch members on said seed dropping mechanism, a trip lever on the furrow opener frame for throwing the clutch members into and out of engaging position, and connecting means between said tripping lever and bell crank lever whereby said trip lever is operated, said connecting means comprising a pendent arm pivoted to said furrow opener frame, a connecting link between the pendent arm and trip lever, and a connecting link between the pendent arm and bell crank lever.

12. In a seed planter, a supporting frame, a furrow opener frame hinged thereto, a bell crank lever pivoted to said supporting frame and connected to said furrow opener frame, seed dropping mechanism carried on said furrow opener frame, clutch members on said seed dropping mechanism, a trip lever on the furrow opener frame for throwing the clutch members into and out of engaging position, connecting means between said trip lever and bell crank lever whereby said trip lever operated, comprising a pendent arm connected to the furrow opener frame, a counterbalancing spring connected to said arm, a yielding connection between the trip lever and said pendent arm, and a link connection between the pendent arm and said bell crank lever.

13. In a seed planter, a supporting frame, a furrow opener frame hinged thereto, a lever on said supporting frame for raising the furrow opener frame, seed dropping mechanism carried on the furrow opener frame, a clutch mechanism on the seed dropping mechanism comprising a continuously rotating drive member and intermittently rotating driven member, and a trip lever in position to engage said driven member and disengage it from the driving member when said furrow opener frame is raised.

14. In a seed planter, a supporting frame, a furrow opener frame hinged thereto, a lever on the supporting frame for raising the furrow opener frame, seed dropping mechanism on. the furrow opener frame, a clutch mechanism on the seed dropping mechanism having an intermittently driven member, means controlled by the raising of the furrow opener frame for throwing said intermittently driven member out of operative position, and a variable clutch member connected to the intermittently driven member comprising a ratchet and pawl, and a swinging cam to disengage said pawl.

15. In a seed planter, a supporting frame, a furrow opener frame hinged thereto, seed dropping mechanism carried thereby, a bell crank lever on said supporting frame for raising the furrow opener frame, a crank arranged to be engaged by said lever, a marker arm attached to said crank, said bell crank lever being so arranged that both hand and foot power may be applied thereto for the purpose of raislng said marker in concert with the furrow 0 ener frame, and means operable by said be 1 crank lever for controlling the operation of said seed dropping mechanism.

16. In a seed planter, a supporting frame, a furrow opener frame hinged thereto, seed dropping mechanism carried thereby, a bell crank lever pivoted to the carrying frame and connected to the runner frame and having a rearwardly extending portion prov1 ed with pedals, a crank arm arranged to be engaged by the rearwardly extending portion of said lever, a marker arm connected to said crank arm whereby the marker arm is raised in concert with said furrow opener frame, and means operable by said bell crank lever for controlling the operation of said seed dropping mechanism.

17. In a seed planter, carrying wheels, an axle for said wheels, a supporting frame on said axle, a furrow opener frame pivoted to the supporting frame, seed droppin mechanism carried thereby, a bell cran lever pivoted to the forward portion of said supporting frame and connected to the furrow opener frame, a crank arm arranged to be engaged by said bell crank lever in position forwardly of said axle, a marker arm connected to said crank arm whereby the marker arm is raised in concert with the furrow opener frame, and means operable by said bell crank lever for controlling the operation of said seed dropping mechanism.

18. In a seed planter, seed dropping mechanism, operating mechanism therefor including a constantly rotating member, a locking member adapted to connect said constantly rotating member with said seed dropping mechanism, and a plurality of independent means for engaging said locking member and disconnecting said constantly rotating member from said seed dropping mechanism.

19. In a seed planter, seed dropping mechanism, operating means therefor, including a clutch having a. plurality of operating members, a locking member adapted to operatively connect said members with each other, and a plurality of independently operable means for actuating said clutch by engaging said locking member and changing the relation between said operating members, thereby disconnecting the operating means from said seed dropping mechanism.

20. In a seed planter, seed dropping mechanism, operating means therefor includin a constantly operating clutch member an an intermittently operating clutch member, a locking member adapted to connect said.

clutch members, and a plurality of independently operable means for engaging said locking member and disconnecting said intermittently operating clutch member from said constantly operating clutch member.

21. In a seed planter, a source of power, seed dropping mechanism, operative connections between said source of power and said seed dropping mechanism including a clutch and a locking member adapted to connect said clutch to said source of power, and a plurality ofindependent means for engaging said locking member and throwing out of operation said operative connections.

22. In a seed planter, a source of power, a constantly rotating member operatively connected to said source of power, seed dropping mechanism, operative connections between said constantly rotating member and said seed dropping mechanism, including a locking member, means for engaging said locking member and automatically controlling said operative connections as the seed planter is operated, and means independent of said automatic means for disconnecting said seed dropping mechanism from said constantly rotating member.

23. In a seed planter, a source of power, seed dropping mechanism, operative connections between said source of power and said seed dropping mechanism including a clutch having a plurality of operating members, a pawl adapted to operatively connect said operating members, a check wire shaft, means carried by said check wire shaft for engaging said pawl and controlling said clutc and supplemental means independent of said check wire shaft for engaging said pawl and controlling said clutch by changing the relation between said operating members.

24. In a seed planter, a source of power, seed dropping mechanism, operative connections between said source of power and said seed dropping mechanism including a clutch, said clutch having a constantly operating member and a movable member normally in engagement with said constantly operating member and rotatable therewith, means for engaging said movable member at a predetermined point in its rotation for disconnecting said member from said constantly operating member, and supplemental means for engaging said movable member at a point in its rotation distinct from the point first mentioned.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL K. DENNIS.

Witnesses:

C. H. Manson), W. A. Lows. 

